What is “Being Authentic?”

“Be authentic.”

I see this phrase a lot.

The core basis of this statement means that whatever “authentic” is: a) you are not authentic now—and; b) you want to become authentic (at some future date/time).

What are we really saying?

Whenever someone talks about “being authentic,” I think what are they being now?

This is a similar to when people start their response to a question with “Honestly,...” Whenever someone says that I ask myself ‘If they’re about to be honest with what they say next, how much of what they’ve told me before is true?’

Both of these are acknowledgements that our default behavior is to mask our true intentions. We do what we feel we have to do to acquire what we want, and to fit into circumstances we frequently encounter (that we would otherwise avoid).

Define Authentic

If by “authentic” we mean being who you are, then the question is:

“is it possible for you to not be who you are?”Can you be anything other than who you are? Is that possible?

The answer is no.

I propose that what we mean by “be authentic” is to stop the pretending we do in certain circumstances to fit in and avoid rejection. To share our true intentions—so others may know and contribute to our fulfillment of them.

To openly share our intentions in any moment is to act with integrity. But it also makes us vulnerable.

Anyone can use our truth against us. And in our current culture people generally do use what they know about us to their advantage. In fact, we are deeply conditioned to do that. So, we take care not to be vulnerable. Which ultimately means we are not “authentic.”

Integrity or being “authentic” requires full participation by others. Anyone is free to prioritize their own personal interest over ours, or our groups. This is both the power and the peril of authenticity.